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Mony Mony
| Label =Roulette | Writer =Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom | Producer =Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell | Certification = | Chronology = | Last single ="Get Out Now" (1968) | This single ="Mony Mony" (1968) | Next single ="Somebody Cares" (1968) | Misc = }} "Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by American pop rock band Tommy James and the Shondells, which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart while also getting serious airplay in the U.S. and Canada. Written by Bobby Bloom, Ritchie Cordell, Bo Gentry, and Tommy James, the song has appeared in various film and television works such as the Oliver Stone drama Heaven & Earth.[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107096/soundtrack?ref_=tt_ql_trv_7 Heaven & Earth Soundtrack] Retrieved February 7, 2015 It was also notably covered by English singer-songwriter Billy Idol in 1981. Idol's version, which took in more of a Rock sound, became an international top 40 hit and additionally revived public interest in the original garage rock single. Tommy James and the Shondells version Background and release "Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The title of the song is said to have been inspired by Tommy James' view of the M.O.N.Y. sign atop the Mutual of New York Building on the New York City skyline from his Manhattan apartment. As Tommy James says in a 1995 interview in Hitch magazine: "Mony Mony" was the only song by the group to reach the top 20 in the United Kingdom; it reached No. 1 in the UK, No. 3 on the Hot 100, and No. 1 on WLS, two years to the day after the similarly sounding title "Monday, Monday" reached No. 1 there. A music video of it was made at the time featuring the band performing the song amidst psychedelic backgrounds, dated in showing love beads, but a decade and half later would receive some play on MTV. The song "Mony Mony" has been covered by many artists, including Billy Idol, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Amazulu, Status Quo, the Scenics, the Wigs, and the Beach Boys who recorded the song on March 15, 1976. In a peculiar twist, in 1987 Billy Idol's version of the song replaced another Tommy James hit at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 — "I Think We're Alone Now", covered by Tiffany. Track listings and format * vinyl # "Mony Mony" - 2:45 # "One Two Three and I Fell" - 2:32 Chart performance Billy Idol version }} }} Background and release British rock artist Billy Idol released a cover version in 1981 (on the Don't Stop EP). Along with the track, "Baby Talk", Idol's version of "Mony Mony" went to number seven on the Billboard dance chart. A live recording of the song became a hit for Idol in 1987 as well. Idol's version of the song gave rise to an interesting custom in the 1980s. When the song was performed live in concert or played at a club or dance, people would shout a certain formulaic (and usually obscene) sentence in the two measures following each line. One example is: "Hey, hey what? Get laid, get fucked!" This custom led to the song being banned at high school dances across North America, although it continues at Idol concerts today. Billy Idol's version was recorded on two separate occasions. The original 1981 studio recording is the most common version heard on rock radio stations across the globe. However, Idol released a live version as a single in 1987, while promoting his then-forthcoming compilation work Vital Idol. It was the live version that went to No. 1, coincidentally displacing Tiffany's cover of another Tommy James song, "I Think We're Alone Now", from the top spot. As stated before, Idol revived interest in the original garage rock song. His original studio version can be found on Idol's Greatest Hits compilation album, a 2001 Capitol Records release. That album has received positive critical reviews, with Idol's cover of the Tommy James tune specifically praised. The 1987 version was released as a vinyl 45, and it was not available in a digital format until 2009 as a download in the iTunes store. Uses in popular culture The song appears in the 2011 video game NHL 12. It appears in a 2014 TV commercial for the Nissan Sentra, advertising the Bose sound system. "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a parody of this song from his album Even Worse, entitled "Alimony" (based on the Billy Idol version). It was about a recently divorced man complaining about his ex-wife taking everything he owns away from him in alimony payments. Track listings and formats *'(1981) UK 7" vinyl (33⅓ rpm) & 12" vinyl (45rpm)' #"Mony Mony" #"Baby Talk" #"Untouchables" #"Dancing With Myself" *'(1987) UK 7" vinyl' #"Mony Mony (Live)" #"Shakin' All Over (Live)" *'(1987) US 12" vinyl' #"Mony Mony (Hung Like a Pony Remix)" 6:59 #"Mony Mony (Steel-Toe Cat Dub)" 6:50 #"Mony Mony (Live) 4:00" #"Mony Mony (Single Edit)" 5:01 *'(1987) UK 12" vinyl' #"Mony Mony (Hung Like a Pony Remix♰)" #"Shakin' All Over (Live)" #"Mony Mony (Live)" ♰Mixed by – Tom Lord-Alge Chart performance References External links * Category:1968 singles Category:Tommy James and the Shondells songs Category:The Beach Boys songs Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:1987 singles Category:Billy Idol songs Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Songs written by Tommy James Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Songs written by Ritchie Cordell Category:Songs written by Bobby Bloom Category:Roulette Records singles Category:1968 songs Category:Chrysalis Records singles